Stay Up to Date
Are You a Tactical Minimalist?
The longer you’re in this community, the more you realize that there’s almost an overwhelming number of skills to learn. One of the biggest traps people fall into is trying to become a master of everything. Often that looks like learning infinite variations of each skill. I think this ultimately becomes a distraction, and prevents us from thinking about the bigger picture.
\\\ TOPICS
\\\ featured
The Complete Guide to Your Iron Sight Zero
Most articles walk you through the basic steps of getting your iron sights zeroed, but they lack an explanation of why you’re doing the steps you’re doing. Let’s change that.
The Battle Belt: 3 Essential Tips for Carrying Gear Like a Boss
The battle belt is a sort of modern iteration of the classic ALICE gear that served the US military from the 70s through late 90s. But there are some significant differences, particularly in the type and amount of load that the belt handles.
The AR-15 Barrel Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need to Know
This post summarizes just about everything I’ve learned about rifle barrels in general, and specifically AR-15 Barrels.
It’s fair to say that the barrel is the heart of the gun, and the most important choice to make when configuring a rifle. There are a lot of considerations and tradeoffs to make when deciding on the “right” one for you, so let’s dig in.
Field Guide to Buying Your First AR-15
The AR-15 is the most popular rifle in the country. This guide discusses a good first rifle configuration, and provides some technical info to back it up.
The Recce Rifle: Builder’s Guide to Modern Classic
The original SEAL Recce Rifle was an in-house modification to M4 carbines. The history goes back to the early 1990s. Since they were so individualized, there really wasn’t a spec, but there is an accepted pattern to follow.
A Competition 22 Rifle for Everyday Precision Shooters
It’s no secret that I’ve been assembling a 22 target rifle suitable for competition and training use. I’ve been posting articles debating the merits of a competition 22 rifle as a stand-in for larger centerfire rifles when it comes to long-distance training and practice. Well, it’s now time to throw back the curtain on what I’ve built.
HI, I’M MATT.
I’m the founder of The Everyday Marksman.
I’ve always been an outdoors fanatic and avid shooting enthusiast. As a former military officer and master instructor, I want to bring a different perspective to the firearms and outdoors communities. It’s not just about high-speed shooting and tactics, but the sum of your ability.
I created The Everyday Marksman to teach tactical skills to everyday people seeking a more adventurous life.
Want to learn more about me? Read This →
-Matt, The Marksman
\\\ Latest posts
Do You Need an All-in-One Fighting Kit?
I ventured off into a thought experiment that ended up becoming something…more. I’ve long suggested that the average prepared citizen should consider a battle belt and chest rig (or plate carrier) combo as their go-to fighting gear. There’s a lot of advantages there. On the other side, though, I’ve been thinking a lot about a single “grab and go” fighting kit all contained in a single piece of equipment.
Here’s where I’m at with the idea.
Quick Hits: Lessons Learned from My First USPSA Match
Skill development is a cycle. Competition shows you what skills you need to work on, taking you back to learning a skill that then gets refined. Besides the “software,” or the skills that you personally have, competition is a great place to test your gear. After way, way too long, I finally went and shot a USPSA match. Let’s talk about lessons learned.
Hammer-Fired vs Striker-Fired: A War on Two Fronts
There are several timeless debates in the firearms world: 9mm vs 45, Stoner vs Kalashnikov, 10.5″ vs 12.5″ AR-15’s, Kydex vs leather, or Glock vs…everything. Some of these have settled, but others….well I don’t think we’ll ever get to a final answer.
One of these debates is hammer-fired pistols against striker-fired. I’d like to put my own two cents out there.
Evaluating Your Gear for Real World Use
A series of recent events reminded me of the importance of actually checking your gear for fit, function, and purpose. It doesn’t have to take long, and it pays dividends when you actually have to use your stuff for competition, personal defense, or worse. Unfortunately, many people just don’t know where to start, so they begin and end with mounting pouches on their kit, snapping a few photos, and saying “Good enough!”
The Magazine Pouch Primer: Access, Security, and Ergonomics
In this article, we’re diving in on the topic of magazine pouches. We’ll go over my classification system, the tradeoffs between them, what you should prioritize based on your uses, and some basic rules for configuring your ammunition load.
Thank you for coming by The Everyday Marksman. This site and its community are a labor of love. I hope you stick around for a while, and maybe even join us.
-Matt
\\\ Administrative
\\\ Helpful Links
COPYRIGHT © The Everyday Marksman